Anti-cuts posters branded ‘propaganda on the rates’

Main Image : 

Published: 3 December, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

The Town Hall was this week accused of wasting public money by putting up 150 anti-cuts posters in bus shelters

DOZENS of “Can cuts be fair?” posters went up in bus shelters in Upper Street, Islington, close to the town hall, explaining that the Coalition government spending cuts will mean tough decisions for the Labour council.

But Lib Dem opposition leader Councillor Terry Stacy said: “This is propaganda on the rates. The next thing we will have is the red flag flying over the town hall.”

The posters, which cost £650, direct people to the council’s Fairness Commission website, which shows how heavily the Town Hall relies on money from central government.

The council’s Labour leadership is trying to close a funding gap of about £80million, which councillors admit will lead to some popular services being axed or severely curtailed.

Labour says the posters are designed to inform residents about the unprecedented nature of the financial challenge facing the Town Hall, pointing out that what happens at Westminster has a direct link to which services survive budget cuts in Islington. But Cllr Stacy maintained: “Whichever party had been in power, cuts would have been made. They might not have been the same cuts but a Labour government would have made significant cuts too.”

Dave Barnes, of Islington Taxpayers’ Alliance, thought the posters “outrageous”. He added: “I wonder if it is legal. Councils are not supposed to spend money on political causes.”

Council leader Councillor Catherine West said that everyone had a right to know how the government’s cuts would affect their community. “The posters, which cost £4.33 each, are there to inform people about the cuts and the Fairness Commission’s work to deal with them in the fairest way possible,” she added.